Killed at Age 12 for Telling the World about 13M Child Slaves in Pakistan, Iqbal Masih

Summary

Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani child labor activist, was tragically killed at the age of 12 after campaigning against the exploitation of child slaves in Pakistan's carpet industry.

Abstract

Iqbal Masih, born into a poor Christian family in Pakistan, was sold into bonded labor at a carpet factory at the age of 6. Despite enduring harsh conditions and abuse, he became a symbol of the fight against child labor after escaping and seeking help from the Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF). His efforts led to the liberation of over 3000 children and earned him international recognition, including the Reebok Human Rights Award. Tragically, Iqbal was murdered at 12, likely due to his activism threatening the profits of factory owners. His legacy continues to inspire global efforts to combat child labor, with organizations and memorials established in his honor, and an ongoing struggle by the BLLF to free the estimated 12.5 million children still in bonded labor in Pakistan.

Opinions

The author suggests that those in power fear children who are aware of their rights, as evidenced by the negative reaction to Malala Yousafzai and the murder of Iqbal Masih.
There is a sentiment of regret that Iqbal could not be saved, implying a societal failure to protect child activists.
The article implies that the carpet factory owners and similar industrialists are more concerned with profits than human rights, as indicated by the continued use of child labor despite its illegality.
The author expresses that the plight of child laborers in Pakistan is a dire issue, with the situation being described as worse than the condition of the "Rat-Children of Pakistan."
The piece conveys a sense of pride and inspiration drawn from Iqbal's achievements, despite his young age and lack of formal education.
There is a clear call to action for more to be done to address the ongoing problem of child labor, with a nod to the difficulties faced by

Killed at Age 12 for Telling the World about 13M Child Slaves in Pakistan, Iqbal Masih

People in power are not afraid of anything more than a child who knows better. Pakistanis love to hate Malala Yousafzai instead of feeling proud of her. Our little hero was no different, except that he could not be saved.

Iqbal Masih was son of a poor Christian family living in the outskirts of Lahore. He was barely 6 or 7 when his father sold him to a carpet factory owner for 600 rupees in 1989 because he desperately needed money for Iqbal’s mother’s operation. It was around 12 dollars at that time. He and thousands of other children were kept chained for more than 12 hours, 7 days a week to weave carpets. Little fingers of the children are thought perfect to weave the intricate patterns of famous oriental carpets.

Image by Matiullah Achakzai

They were given very little food and were beaten badly if they got sick or accidentally dose off. According to Iqbal if a child was too sick to work at all then he was locked in a closet as punishment. His family was not able to pay the 600 rupees back for 5 years due to the interest rate piling up. And Iqbal kept working chained in the factory. He used to get beaten more than other children because he was outspoken.

The factory didn’t want to provide beds for the children so they were sent back home every night after work. During his stay at home, he could hardly catch up on his sleep. In 1993 he heard the news that child labor was illegal in Pakistan, so instead of going to the factory that day he went to the nearest police station and told the police about the shackled children of the carpet factory.

These custodians of law took him back to the factory where he was hung upside down and beaten. But now he knew that what was being done to him was illegal. He knew Lahore was a big city and he will definitely find someone there who would help him. So he ran away again and reached Lahore. In Lahore, someone took him to a local NGO working for the freedom of bonded and child labor named Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF). This institution helped Iqbal and they succeeded to free over 3000 children from slavery.

Iqbal was not educated but he was clever. He completed a 4 years basic educational course in 2 years and became a symbol of the fight against child labor. He traveled all over the world to tell the world about millions of children working in many industries in Pakistan. He traveled through many countries including the United States to tell his story.

Image by BLLF

In 1994 he received the Reebok Human Rights Award in Boston, United States. Iqbal Masih inspired the world to help children in Pakistan. A Canada based charity named ‘Free The Children’ was started to help the cause. Another organization, the ‘Iqbal Masih Shaheed Children Foundation’ has more than 20 schools in Pakistan now.

A school in Boston that he visited in 1994, raised money and started a school in Qasoor city of Pakistan. Francesco D’Adamo wrote a book named ‘Iqbal’ based on his life. Many schools were named after him in Trieste, Italy in 1998. In 2000 a memorial of Iqbal Masih was inaugurated in Genoa, Italy named Piazzale dei Traghetti Iqbal Masih. On the same day, he was given the ‘World’s Children Prize for the Rights of the Child’.

On 16 April 1995, Iqbal was killed in his village when he was only 12-years-old. His family was afraid so they did not file a police report and called it an accident because he was killed by a poor local heroin addict. But the world knows better and it is an open secret that he was murdered by the factory owner who had to face a decline in business due to the awareness campaign of Iqbal.

The world did not forget this young hero. In 2006 a book titled ‘The Little Hero: One Boy’s Fight for Freedom’ was written based on his story. In 2009 United States Congress established the annual Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor. In 2012, the Council of Santiago inaugurated a square named after Iqbal in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. in 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarth dedicated his award to Iqbal Masih. In 2017 the University of Salamanca committed to celebrating every 16th April as a Day Against Child Slavery on behalf of Iqbal Masih.

According to the statistics, there are still more than 12.5 million children, under the age of 14, working in bonded labor in Pakistan. The BLLF is still working for their freedom but due to limited funds and the powerful owners of the industries, they are facing extreme difficulties.

Some people commented on my article about Rat-Children of Pakistan saying “what can be worse than that”, well, this is worse than that. Imagine almost 13 million young angels slaving away in chains in this day and age.